Painting in the Details

"First Shoes" - 6"x6" acrylic on canvas "First Shoes" is my latest small painting, and one of my pieces currently in an Austin gallery group show that runs through January 5, 2020. When I was dropping off my paintings for the show, a couple of people asked me, "Why shoes?" It's not the first time I've been asked, so I thought it would be a good topic to address in a blog post. My shoe portraits are less about the shoes themselves and more about the wearer of the shoes - or, more accurately, the memories, sentiments and stories tied to the owners of the shoes. Perhaps they were the pair a child took their first steps in, or a child's favorite pair they insisted on wearing daily until they no longer fit or were worn through. Maybe they are a pair that represent something their owner is passionate about - dance, athletics, fashion. Perhaps they are connected to a profession such as service in the military. They could be assoc...

Where Are You Going my Little One - Acrylic on upholstery by Alisha K. Ard I mentioned previously that, should I ever win the lottery, I would purchase one of every item in an art supply store. I would also own a library, comparable to the one the Beast gives Belle , and finally realize my life dream of being a philanthropist. (Dream BIG, right?) Unfortunately, this would require me to actually play the lottery. So, the best I have to offer right now are words of encouragement, clothing donations to shelters, a couple of hours here and there of my time volunteering, and donations I can make with my art. The most rewarding pieces I create are those that give back to causes I believe in, such as the painted chair pictured with this post. This piece was created a few years ago for a charity auction fundraiser to help raise money to buy beds for children. I had so much fun coming up with the concept for the design and then painting this piece. The title, “Where Are...

3 Sisters, 1 Pair - Acrylic on canvas by Alisha K. Ard Art has always been an important part of my life. As a child, when my grandmother would read books to me at bedtime, I was as enchanted by the details of every illustration as I was by the stories. When I would visit my mother in the summer, she would entertain me with art projects. I was absolutely thrilled to get newsprint drawing pads and pencils as gifts. In High School, I took a single semester of Art class my Junior year, but with the “starving artist” stigma, I did not consider art as a serious career option, so I started college in pursuit of a Chemical Engineering degree rather than a formal art education. Fast forward to late 2006, and I was a stay-at-home mom to a 6 year old son in Kindergarten and a 1 year old baby girl. I read blogs and articles about the Daily Painters movement — artists painting one small painting every day as an exercise to hone their skills. These small works were then poste...